KUALA LUMPUR: KUALA LUMPUR: As mentioned previously listed below are the Malaysian Armed Forces Tenth Malaysian Plan wish-list. The list was the procurement plans mentioned by the PAT for the Armed Forces Day interview in September.
Since I was not asked to prepare the questions (last minute rush, as usual) and the fact that I was not able to be at Mindef for the formal interview, I had agreed to embargo the list below for my colleagues who went for it. Obviously, a lot of things were missed in the interview, I had not other choice but to run the wish list below.
I do not claimed that the wish list below are the complete list submitted by MAF to the ministry. As usual the PAT only answered the questions that was forwarded to him in advance. So if you missed a question, the good general wont offer any clue. And by tradition no numbers or type were revealed. By the same time next year I am hoping I will be able to ask more questions and hopefully get more answers.
RMAF
1) AEW (the PAT confirmed the Government had agreed to purchase AEW asset in 2008 but it was deferred due to the economic crisis. Malaysian Defence had reported that the Govt had in principle agreed to purchase the Saab AEW system but without the involvement of Embraer.
2) Nuri Replacement Programme. The Cougar remained a very serious contender and Eurocopter Malaysia is working hard to get the deal signed. Will it be signed during LIMA? At the moment, I am still saying no.
3) MPAs.
The PAT also said RMAF was still studying the further MRCA requirements so its apparent no PLANNED procurement is expected within the next three years. It does not necessarily mean that we wont buy them if the politicians suddenly decide we need to beef up the lone Sukhoi squadron!
Army
1) 8X8 APC replacement. They wont replace the Sibmas and Condor on one to one basis. Don’t how many at this point in time. So the mechanised regiments will have to make do with KIFV and Adnans. The APC replacement programme was supposed to come in the Ninth Malaysian Plan but got the chop due to you know what. The general did say that the wheeled APC programme was meant for international peace keeping missions and MRAPs was not in their planning.
2) A regiment of Self-Propelled Howitzers. No firm candidate yet, but the Caesar remained the most probable. It will be attached to a mechanised regiment so the numbers could be 12 + 12.
3) Man-portable AT and AD missiles. The AT system was tendered last year and it was rumoured that the Javelin had been selected with some 20 launcher and up to 200 missiles to be purchased. Nothing about training missiles though. No candidates for the AD missiles have been confirmed.
RMN
There was nothing about the MPSS. It was not asked I believed but I guess with the Inderapura fire, the MPSS is back on the table. In 2007 at LIMA, Najib said the MPSS project had been given the green light but since then matter had gone quiet. At that point, the Dokdo was the shoe-in candidate with the Mistral coming a close second.
1) Lekiu Batch 2. Yup its still there but I am not sure it will be finalised due to the price quoted by BAE Systems (RM3 billion per ship for local ,manufacture, half the price if built in the UK)
2) NGPV batch 2
3) Hydrographic ships. We need these ships to map our seas. The three items above were holdovers from RMK9. as of number 5, 7 and 8.
4) Littoral Combatant Ship. Indeed the PAT had not used the exact term used by the Americans (Littoral Combat Ship) but I am assuming we no longer have blue water navy aspirations and that FACs are no longer in their plans.
5) Naval Electronic Warfare Support Systems (NEWOSS). The NGPV were commissioned without these vital systems as mentioned by the National Audit Department report previously.
6) Possible purchase of Nakhoda Ragam class. RMN had confirmed that they had looked at the ships and found it suitable for its needs. It now depends on the Govt financial capability.
7) Minesweepers
8) And last but not least, ASW helicopters.
Is that all? Of course not, as I mentioned earlier, the answers were based on the questions posed to the PAT. The actual wish list is probably longer but if the same allocation in the RMK9 was allocated (around US$5 billion) you can safely assume that it will not be enough even for the systems mentioned in the interview!
–Malaysian Defence
View Comments (45)
do MAF don need the medium SAM??
Marhalim: Yes indeed we need medium-range SAMs but with the expensive price tag and the impasse of whoever will take care of these assets either RMAF or Army means that its not going to happen very soon...
I was told the Ingwee was the main contender. As long as the army is done with going for legay wire-guided ATGMs. The Javelin would be ideal, the only problem is its price tag. The UK paid 20,000 pounds for each Javelin!
Like I said in my earlier post in the MPSS thread - we need better sensors and detection platforms! I actually missed out 'basic transport requirements' - so I would support the Cougar purchase and the 8X8 APCs. Lekiu Batch 2 and more Sukhois are nice to have in my view.
Marhalim you said there's not much interest in the Embraer. That would mean the RMAF would have to go for the SAAB, if it choses Erieye, which is no longer being produced and are ex-Swede airlines examples. I would prefer a jet powered platform as it can fly to a higher altitude and reach there faster. Eriye also unfortunatly doesn't provide 360 coverage.
I see no point in going for medium range SAMs as we don't have enough enough MANPADs in the first place to provide basic low level protection for the 20 odd infantry battalions. Also lacking are early alerting devices like the British ADAD which cues the Starstreak.
Marhalim: As I mentioned in the Erieye post previously, MINDEF chose the Saab 340/2000 as the current local Embraer rep fell out of favour with the previous administration. With the new administration there is a possibility that Embraer could get back in the picture if they decided to fund the AEW requirement which is most likely. RMAF btw I am told favour a jet for its AEW requirements.......
Yes, a jet though more expensive to buy and operate provides advantages over a tuborprop based AEW. If you can fly higher you have better coverage. I find it interesting that in Swede service, Eriye is not used as an early alerting system but as an air control system for the Gripen.
So that is the rough MAF RMK10 wishlist... This is my own wishlist based on the above.
RMAF
1) 3x Embraer EMB 145 AEW&C (if RMAF wants jets) or 3x ERIEYE+CN235 (commonize airframes with RMAF transports. The airframe can buy from spain EADS CASA if sensitive from indonesia)
2) 12x Cougars + some nuri's (12-18x)refurbished with carson upgrade kits as stopgap 10 years use.
3) additional topups of 6-8x Beechcraft B200T MPA's with AMASCOS systems (each base B200T's around USD5mil+USD10mil for the AMASCOS) + upgrading the remaining 2 RMAF beechcrafts with the AMASCOS (other 2 already with AMASCOS), or 6-8x CN235's with the AMASCOS system.
ARMY
As above but the AT with any latest russian weapons.
RMN
0) Get any hull (at least 2) to replace the Inderapura.
1) NO lekiu batch 2!! Please replace that requirement with 2x ABSALON class ship, built locally if that is a must.
2) NGPV batch 2. For RMK10 only 2 more plus weapons/combat systems fit for the 6 current NGPV's. Can get 2 more NGPV's for RMK11.
3) as above
4) For LCS, get those Korean Gomdoksuri PKX built locally. The korean navy is building 40 of these as their LCS. Built around 6-12, to offset getting fewer NGPV's than the planned 21 ships. The ships already using Malaysian made waterjet systems.
http://www.naval.com.br/blog/2008/12/17/pkx/
http://www.naval.com.br/blog/2009/06/02/fotos-do-pkx-patrol-killer-experimental-da-marinha-da-coreia-do-sul/
5) see no.2
6) Yes please! The RBN already built 3 smaller ships (1st is the Ijhtihad, now in germany) to replace the nakhoda ragam
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/showallphotos.aspx?mmsi=508111118
7) Korean Swallow class MCMV's (lerici copy); or SLEP to kinabalu and jerai as per the other 2 ships, plus buying 2x nigerian monthballed lerici class ships similar to the 4 malaysian ships. The mahamiru and lerici is still one of the most advanced MCMV's currently available in the world, even after all these years.
Marhalim: I like the idea of turning the CN-235 for the Eiereye radar but the integration will cost us money. The Navy needs more MCMVs, the mothballed Nigerian sounds a good idea. The Ijhtihad now thats a real PV! But the name is so not Bruneian, more like the Gulf countries.....
Why dont the malaysian government consider buying the polish variant of patria amv?..it has proven itself in afghanistan..
Marhalim: Yes, the 8x8 APC contract is up grabs, last time it was the Piranha that got the thumbs up. Who knows this time around when they float the tender, the AMV might get lucky...
I hope RMN will seriously consider to purchase the Nakhoda Ragam rather than the expensive Lekiu batch-II.
no huge procurement in RMK-10 the excuses is due to uncertain economic scenario..
more reason to forgo the 1MF1 dream...for the moment at least...even if it's not for national defence/security the 500mil can surely find its other useful purposes...c'mon M'sia..RAKYAT didahulukan..pencapaian diutamakan